Many systems currently use a plugin, such as a NPAPI (NETSCAPE Plugin Application Programming Interface) plugin, to implement communications between a web browser and a locally running application. The plugin has the primary purpose of passing messages from the web browser to the local application, and to also return responses from the local application to the web browser.
While this type of communications approach currently functions adequately, many browsers are discontinuing NPAPI support. In other words, many modern browsers are now starting to disable the NPAPI plugins, turning off the plugins by default, warning users when they are run, and/or disabling them altogether is some circumstances.
The lack of support for these types of plugins is leading to a problem for systems that require a communications path between web applications and locally running applications. For example, many legacy systems and applications are configured to operate based on the ability to implement some sort of communications between the web browser and a local application. Without such a communication path, these legacy applications will no longer be able to function properly.
The problem to be solved is therefore rooted in technological limitations of the legacy approaches that require such communications paths. Improved techniques, in particular improved application of technology, are needed to address the problem of being able to provide communications between web applications and local application on a computing system.